ONE MORE WIN, ONE STEP AHEAD – Football Season Recap

THE LONGHORNS’ ROLLER COASTER SEASON CONCLUDES WITH ANOTHER BOWL WIN AND HOPES OF RE-ASCENDANCE.

The 2012 season was a mishmash of triumphs and setbacks.

Texas — which had five seniors on its depth chart for the Valero Alamo Bowl — fielded a team forced to learn on the fly. Looking back to August, most believed the defense would carry the Longhorns while the offense found its legs.

But that was never the case. Opposing teams gouged the Longhorn defense, while the offense engineered most of the wins in Texas’ 9-4 campaign. The offense was either too good for the opposition (like in the first three games) or did just enough to clinch the win (as they did against Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas). 

The Texas defense rebounded in San Antonio and the Longhorns surged past Oregon State to win the Alamo Bowl, ending the 2012 campaign on a positive note.

Here’s a quick game-by-game recap of the 2012 season.

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1

No. 15 Texas 37, Wyoming 17, Sept. 1, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

The Longhorn defense keyed a second-quarter outburst leading Texas to a victory over Wyoming before a crowd of 101,142 in Austin. Texas running backs Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown each eclipsed 100 yards on the ground. The win marked the Longhorns’ 13^th straight season-opening win under coach Mack Brown.

Bergeron ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, while Brown totaled 105 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Ash led the Longhorns’ offensive attack that piled up 436 total yards, including 280 on the ground. The sophomore completed 20-of-27 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown.

After falling behind 9-7 late in the first quarter, the Texas defense rose to the occasion by forcing a pair of turnovers before halftime. Kenny Vaccaro’s interception and return set the table for an Ash 19-yard touchdown pass to a diving Jaxon Shipley, giving the Longhorns a 14-9 lead with 7:20 left in the first half.

Shipley — one of 10 receivers to catch a pass — posted a game-high seven receptions for 45 yards. Jackson Jeffcoat, Jordan Hicks and Steve Edmond each had six tackles to lead the Longhorns.

2

No. 17 Texas 45, New Mexico 0, Sept. 8, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

Texas racked up 431 yards of total offense — despite running just seven offensive plays in the first quarter — when they manhandled the Lobos before 100,990 in Austin. The Texas defense limited New Mexico to just 241 yards.

Ash completed 16-of-22 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, including one touchdown on the ground. McCoy relieved Ash in the fourth quarter and added a touchdown pass. In his first collegiate appearance, freshman wide receiver Daje Johnson led the Texas receiving contingent with three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.

The Longhorns moved to 2-0 and dispatched New Mexico with a much more complete performance in the second half, reeling off touchdowns on four of their five possessions. Overall, Texas had nine drives in the game, scoring on seven of them.

The defense produced its first shutout since Oct. 29, 2011. Hicks led the Longhorns with nine tackles (four solo), including two tackles-for-loss. Jeffcoat forced a fumble and recorded a sack, and cornerback Quandre Diggs produced his first interception of the season.

From the 9:23 mark of the second quarter until its final drive with just under three minutes to play, New Mexico’s never drove past its own 36-yard line.

3

No. 14 Texas 66, Ole Miss 31, Sept. 15, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

Texas piled up 676 yards of total offense in the victory over Ole Miss Sept. 15. The two teams faced off before 61,797 fans, the fourth-largest crowd in school history and the largest to ever see a non-conference game in Oxford.

Ash completed 19-of-23 passes for a career-high 326 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receivers Marquise Goodwin and Davis each caught a touchdown pass and totaled over 100 receiving yards, with Goodwin adding another score on the ground. Brown carried 21 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

The Longhorns scored on nine of their 12 possessions, including seven in a row between the first and third quarters.

Texas’ defense was racked by Ole Miss’ 19 first downs and 399 yards of offense. Fortunately the Rebels couldn’t keep up with the Longhorns and their suddenly unstoppable offensive machine.

Defensive end Alex Okafor led the Longhorns with two sacks, and Diggs picked off a team-high two passes.

4

No. 12 Texas 41, Oklahoma State 36, Sept. 29 at Boone Pickens Stadium

Bergeron scored on a 2-yard run with 29 seconds to play to lift Texas over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener. The game took place in Stillwater, Okla. before 56,709 fans.

Oklahoma State took a 36-34 lead with 2:34 left in the game when Quinn Sharp made a 24-yard field goal. But the Longhorns answered, marching down the field in the closing minutes to take the lead for good. On fourth-and-6 from the Texas 29, Ash threw downfield and hit tight end D.J. Grant for 29 yards.

Ash then found running back Jeremy Hills in the right flat for 5 yards before passing to Davis for 32 yards to set up first-and-goal at the 5. Bergeron carried 3 yards before finding the end zone on the next play.

Ash made the right decision time and time again against the Oklahoma State defense, finding ways to hit on 30-of-37 of his passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns — all to Shipley.

Texas gave up 576 total yards on 67 snaps — 8.6 yards per play — and still won the game.

5

No. 8 West Virginia 48, No. 11 Texas 45, Oct. 6 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

Even with Bergeron running for a career-high four touchdowns, West Virginia emerged with a stunning Big 12 victory against Texas before a record crowd of 101,851 in Austin.

Ash completed 22-of-29 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown, while Bergeron produced 45 yards on the ground. Freshman running back Johnathan Gray carried 14 times for a career- and team-best 87 yards for Texas. Hills caught six passes for 67 yards, and Goodwin added a touchdown catch.

Kenny Vaccaro led the Texas defense with 11 tackles (five solos), and safeties Mykkele Thompson and Adrian Phillips posted nine stops apiece.

West Virginia’s Geno Smith, who entered the game as the top-rated passer in the nation, directed two 76-yard, fourth-quarter scoring drives. He hit Stedman Bailey on a 6-yard touchdown pass and Andrew Buie for a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:18 to go.

Buie racked up 207 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and carried on seven of the Mountaineers’ eight-play final drive.

Following Buie’s 5-yard touchdown run, Texas covered 49 yards in 57 seconds and cut the West Virginia lead to 48-45. But with just 15 seconds remaining in the game, Nick Jordan attempted a failed onside kick.

6

No. 13 Oklahoma 63, No. 15 Texas 21, Oct. 13 at the Cotton Bowl

Oklahoma racked up yards and points by the bushel, blitzing Texas before 92,500 fans in the AT&T Red River Rivalry in Dallas.

The Sooners’ 677 yards of total offense was the most ever in the 107-year series, supplanting the 552 yards Oklahoma racked up in 2003 in a 65-13 win. The contest wasn’t really a contest from the start, as the Sooners had 407 yards of total offense in the first half alone. Texas only had 65 yards — 48 of which came on two plays.

Perhaps the game’s biggest play came early on when Damien Williams took a zone read handoff, ran through a huge hole and out-sprinted the Longhorns’ defense for a 95-yard touchdown run. The play marked the longest rush in Red River Rivalry history.

By the end of the first quarter, Oklahoma had 13 points and 207 yards of total offense on 25 snaps. Texas had 14 yards of total offense on just nine plays.

The Longhorns ended up with 289 yards of total offense and just 60 snaps compared to Oklahoma’s 90. Texas running backs Bergeron, Gray and Hills ran for just 17 yards on 13 carries. The starting receivers — Davis, Shipley and Goodwin — combined for six catches for 92 yards. 

7

Texas 56, Baylor 50, Oct. 20 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

The Longhorns outlasted Baylor, 56-50 before a crowd of 101,353 in Austin.  The Texas defense made just enough stops and forced two Baylor turnovers, securing the victory and ending a two-game Texas losing streak. Bergeron also aided the win, running for a career-high five touchdowns.

Ash completed 19-of-31 passes for 274 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Davis in the fourth quarter for the eventual game-winning score.

Texas used a balanced attack to amass 525 total yards versus Baylor’s porous defense. The rushing attack — led by Bergeron’s 117 yards — racked up 251 yards. Davis led the receivers with six grabs for 148 yards, including a 67-yard third quarter bomb. Most importantly, the Longhorns didn’t commit a single turnover.

Baylor had 607 yards of total offense. The Bears outrushed Texas 255-251, out passed the Longhorns 352-274, averaged 7.1 yards per snap to the Longhorns’ 7.0, and had 29 first downs to Texas’ 27.

Both teams had 14 possessions in the game. Texas scored touchdowns on eight drives, while Baylor had six touchdowns and three field goals. Holding the Bears to three field goals was crucial.

 

8

No. 24 Texas 21, Kansas 17, Oct. 27, at Memorial Stadium

Case McCoy hit Grant for the 1-yard game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds left in the game against Kansas Oct. 27.

The Jayhawks took a 17-14 lead on a 29-yard field goal by Nick Prolago with 2:28 left in the game, but Texas drove 70 yards to avoid the upset.

McCoy, who came off the bench in the fourth quarter to replace starter Ash, led two scoring drives in the final 10 minutes. McCoy made two key throws to get Texas in scoring position on its final possession. On fourth-and-6 from the Texas 34, he found Shipley for 18 yards. One play later, he connected with Davis for 39 yards down the left sideline to set up first-and-goal. Two runs by Gray set up third-and-goal at the 1. McCoy, who completed 6-of-8 passes for 109 yards, faked a handoff and found a wide open Grant in the end zone.

Texas tied the game at 14-all with 9:41 remaining on an 11-yard touchdown run by Goodwin.

Gray, who finished the game with a career-high 111 rushing yards, ran for 31 yards on the Longhorns’ first offensive play. Ash was 8-for-16 for 63 yards with two interceptions and Shipley had a game-high six receptions for 66 yards.

 

9

No. 22 Texas 31, No. 20 Texas Tech 22, Nov. 3, at Jones AT&T Stadium

In the crucial road victory against Texas Tech, Ash threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns, while Gray rushed for 106 yards on 20 carries. The two teams played before a stadium-record crowd of 60,879 in Lubbock.

The Longhorns remained perfect on the road this season (4-0) behind a big-play offense and a defense that held the Red Raiders, who entered the game with the 11^th-ranked offense in the nation, to four field-goal attempts in six trips into the red zone.

Davis had a career-high 165 receiving yards and a career-best two touchdown catches from Ash, who was 11-for-19 and led the Longhorns on five scoring drives.

After Texas Tech closed the gap to 24-22 on a Seth Doege-to-Eric Stephens 10-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, the Longhorns answered with an eight-play, 59-yard scoring drive. Ash’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Davis gave Texas a 31-22 lead with 9:14 left in the game.

The Red Raiders marched 69 yards in 13 plays on the ensuing possession before the Longhorns defense forced a field-goal attempt — the fourth inside the Texas 20. But Carrington Byndom blocked the 23-yard try from Ryan Busin. Texas took over at its own 20 and ran out the clock.

Gray had his second-straight 100-yard rushing game and had a career-high 147 all-purpose yards in the same stadium where his father, James, was an All-American running back in the late 1980s.

10

No. 19 Texas 33, Iowa State 7, Nov. 10 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

 Texas piled up more than 600 yards of total offense in an emotional victory over Iowa State before 100,018 fans in Austin. The Longhorns captured its fourth straight win on a day the program remembered former coach Darrell K Royal, who died Nov. 7.

The Longhorn offense lined up and ran its opening play out of the wishbone formation that Royal and former assistant Emory Ballard debuted in 1968.

Ash completed 25-of-31 passes for a career-high 364 yards and two touchdowns, including a 61-yard scoring strike to Davis (who ended up with seven catches for 113 yards). Davis was one of two Longhorn receivers to post more than 100 receiving yards. Shipley added eight catches for 137 yards.

Texas racked up 606 yards of total offense with an attack balanced between the run (222 yards in 45 carries) and the pass (387 yards). Seven different players had carries for the Longhorns — five players had runs in a single third-quarter drive. Ten different receivers caught passes.

The Cyclones managed just 64 yards of offense in the second half and only had three first downs. Not one of Iowa State’s five second-half possessions had more than five snaps. The 277 yards of total offense for the Cyclones was the third lowest output by an opponent this season, and the third time the Longhorns had limited the opposition to less than 300 yards.

 

11

TCU 20, No. 18 Texas 13, Nov. 22 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

In their first-ever Big 12 meeting, TCU defeated Texas in front of 99,950 fans in Austin. The Horned Frogs led the entire game, but had to hold off a late Texas rally.

Hills’ 8-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left in the game cut the Longhorns’ deficit to 20-13. Texas got the ball back at their own 34 with 1:44 on the clock.

McCoy ran 13 yards for a first down on the opening play, but was intercepted by Sam Carter one play later. TCU ran out the clock for their first win in Austin since 1967.

The Longhorns found a way to move the ball enough to dent TCU for 300 total yards, but ran into issues with four turnovers — three by Ash. Ash was benched in favor of McCoy on the Longhorns’ final possession of the first half, but he returned in the third quarter and led a field goal drive. A rib injury eventually forced him from the game.

Texas outgained TCU 300-299, but ran 13 more plays than the Horned Frogs. TCU rushed for 217 yards and held Texas to just 86 yards on 33 carries. Ten of those totes were by quarterbacks Ash (6 for 2 yards) and McCoy (4 for 3 yards).

The Longhorns’ longest play of the game was a 19-yard pass from McCoy to Shipley on the next-to-last drive. TCU, on the other hand, had runs of 41 and 36 yards and a pass for 35 yards, accounting for more than a third of its overall total.

 

12

Kansas State 42, No. 23 Texas 24, Dec. 3, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium

In his only start of the season, McCoy threw for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Kansas State. But his efforts weren’t enough as the Wildcats beat Texas before a crowd of 50,912 fans. With the win, Kansas State clinched the Big 12 Conference title and an automatic berth in the BCS.

The Longhorns, which outgained the Wildcats 413-352, had a chance to pull within one score in the fourth quarter, but Jordan’s 40-yard field goal attempt with 9:30 left in the game sailed wide right after an 11-play drive. Kansas State took advantage of a Texas fumble on a punt return and increased its lead to 35-17 with a 1-yard touchdown.

McCoy connected on 26-of-34 passes, including 17 straight completions at one point — the second-best mark in school history, trailing only his brother, Colt, who had streaks of 18 (vs. Oklahoma State) and 17 (vs. Missouri) during the 2008 season.

 

13

No. 25 Texas 31, No. 15 Oregon State 27, Dec. 29, at the Alamodome

Texas erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit and emerged with a win over Oregon State before 65,277 fans in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

Oregon State took a 27-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but Texas scored a pair of touchdowns over the final 8:18 to secure its ninth win in its last 11 bowl games.

Ash, who completed his final seven passes, and Goodwin, playing in his final game as a Longhorn, made the key plays for the offense. Okafor set an Alamo Bowl record with four and a half of Texas’ 10 sacks.

The Longhorns drove 83 yards in nine plays midway through the fourth quarter to cut the Oregon State lead to 27-24. On third-and-4, Ash eluded a sack attempt, scrambled to his left and hit Gray in stride down the sideline for a 15-yard touchdown.

After the Gray touchdown, Okafor and Cedric Reed teamed up for a sack of Oregon State’s quarterback Cody Vaz on third-and-11 to force a punt. The Longhorn offense took over near midfield with 4:35 on the clock.

Ash hit Goodwin on a 36-yard touchdown pass — Goodwin’s second score of the game. Oregon State had one last shot to regain the lead, but Texas recorded sacks on the final two plays.

Oregon State rolled up 228 total yards in the first half, but the final 30 minutes were controlled by the Longhorn defense. The Beavers were held to 69 yards in the second half, including minus-4 in the fourth quarter.

 

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